Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Jaipur Pink Panthers coach disappointed after loss to Gujarat
On Sunday, the Gujarat Fortunegiants registered a comfortable win over the Jaipur Pink Panthers and continued their good home run. Once again, Sachin played a vital role for Gujarat, scoring seven crucial raid points. Eventually, those seven points turned out to be the difference between the two teams.
During the second half, the referee came under the spotlight for making a questionable decision. Jaipur had four men on the mat and after Gujarat's successful raid, he initially decided to award one raid point to Fortunegiants.
At first, the referee decided not to permit Gujarat from taking the review, he changed his decision seconds later and awarded two points to Gujarat, thus reducing Jaipur to just two men on the mat. Balwan was livid with the referee and reckons it completely changed the outcome of the game.
"This is a game and mistakes are bound to happen. It is part of the game and that is why we lost. When Gujarat did not ask for the review why did the referees give it?" the coach quipped.
The Fortunegiants' coach, Manpreet Singh was extremely cautious with his words. Asked about the referees controversial decision to change the review request, he chose his words carefully and refused to explain the situation.
"It does not matter what the opposition coach says. The referee decides if the review is successful or not. I don't want to comment on that. Obviously, when the turning point of the game goes in your favour, any team is bound to benefit from it," he said.
Instead, Manpreet decided to shift the focus on his sides ominous form at home. In the previous two legs, neither the Telugu Titans nor the Bengaluru Bulls were able to pull off two consecutive wins. However, Gujarat have already managed to win three on the trot.
"In Hyderabad and Nagpur, we played some good matches. But the home teams there were not able to win three matches on the trot. We have done that and shown it. It is possible to win games continuously at home if you plan well," he signed off.